Puzzle.



L. s. BURBANK.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

L. s. BURBANK.

PUZZLE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT 18, 1912 Patented Mayu-1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

LOUIS S. BURBANK, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented Diggy 27, 1913,

Application filed September 18, 1912. SeraI No. 720,995.

T0 all whom, t may concern Be it known that I, Louis S. BURBANK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hopedale, in the county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new andv useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention is embodied in a puzzle comprising a base having a labyrinthine passage extending from t-he outer portion to the center of the base, and a transparent top forming the outer wall of said passage, a pellet of fluid mercury adapted to move in said passage, the outer portion of the passage being provided with means whereby the pellet may be sub-divided, by manipulating or shaking the device, into two smaller pellets, a goal space being provided at the center of the base in which either of t-he two pellets may be deposited as the result of a race between the pellets caused by further manipulation, or in which the pellets may be reunited, the construction being such that considerable care and skill is required to prevent in one case the uniting of the pellets during the race, and in the other case, the premature uniting of the pellets before they reach the goal space.

Of the acco-mpanying drawings forming a part of this speciflcatiom-vFigure l represents a top plan view of a puzzle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2-2 of Fig. l. Fig. 2? represents a section on line @fa-2a of Fig. 1. Fig. 2b represents a section on line Qb-Q" of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 Vof Fig. l. Fig. trepresents a top plan view showing a different embodiment of the invention. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. t.

The same reference characters indicate the same part-s in all'the figures.

In the drawings, a represents a base or body, which is preferably a disk of sheet steel, pressed to form corrugations or grooves, and short transverse grooves connecting adjacent elongated grooves, the whole being arranged to form a labyrinthine passage extending from the periphery to a goal at the center of the disk.

Y In Figs. l and 4 the heavy black linesindicate the apeXes of the corrugations, which are all preferably located in the same plane, so that a transparent top plate b, which may v be of celluloid, glass, or othersuitable transparent material, may bear on said apeXes and form the outer wall of the passage. The transparent top b is preferably secured to thebase by means of a marginal lip or flange c, formed by turning inwardly the margin of the base, said flange overlappingthe margin of the top E. A drop or pellet Z of fluid mercury is kplaced in thev passage and retained therein bythe top the pellet being adapted to be removed from the outer end of the passage to the goal by suitably manipulating or tilting the device. The outer portion of the passage is provided with means whereby the operator, by shaking orragitating the device, may sub-divide the pellet d into two pellets of substantially equal size, and the feat to be accomplished includes the progressive movement of the two pellets toward the goal without permitting the pellets to meet and reunite in transit.

In the embodiment of the invention shown by Figs. l, 2 and 3, the feat to be accomplished is to cause one of the pellets to reach 'the goal, either in advance of the other, or

and the sho-rt transverse portions m, con-y necting said concentric portions at various points, as shown by Fig. l, the inner portion k constituting the goal. The outer portio-n e is provided with a low ridge 0, between which and the top b, is a contracted passage smaller than the diameter of the pellet 0l, as shownby Fig. 2, so that the operator, by shaking the puzzle whenthe pellet is near the ridge, may sub-divide the pellet into two smaller pelletslocated at opposite sides of the ridge 0. The portions f, g, h, z', and y', arevprovided with higher ridges 2J whichpract-ically meet the top b and constitute barriers which prevent progressive movement of a pellet in either of said portions, and necessitate the movement of the pellet through anl adjacent'transverse portion m into anotherconcentric portion, in order that it may proceed on its course to the goal.

The puzzle may be operated as follows: Name two of the three presidential candidates, Roosevelt, Taft, and Vilson. Sepa-- rate the pellet m into two of nearly equal size, as above described. Then by variously tilting the puzzle, try to advance one or the other of the pellets to the goal. It may be understood that neither' pellet is to advance more than one concentric portion beyond the other. A collision and reunion of the two pellets en route counts as a failure, and may be understood to mean that the third candidate will be elected. The relative arrangement of the short transverse passage portions m, and barriers p, shown by Fig. l, is such that much care and skill are required to perform the feat above'indicated, said barriers and the adjacent parts of the elongated passage portions in which they are located forming numerous culs-de-sac, in which a pellet is liable to be poclreted, so that careful manipulation is required to advance the pellet on its course and at the same time prevent it from meeting the other pellet.

Referring to Figs. et and 5, the labyrinthine passage has two divisions, one of which includes the portions l, 2, 3, d, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, while the other division includes the portions l, Q, 3a, et, 5a, G, 7, S, anc 9a, said portions being preferably of the .general form and arrangement represented by Fig. fl. The adjacent ends of the portions l and la, are partially separated from each other by a low ridge 0, corresponding to the ridge 0 above described, and coperating with the top 2') in forming a restricted passage which permits the subdivision of the pellet CZ in the manner described. The portions E) and 9 are connected by a short transverse passage l() constituting the goal. The portions l, 3, 4, G, T and 9, and la, 3a, ilu, 5a, 6, 7a, and 9, are elongated, and the portions 2, 5, 8, 2 and 8fL are short transverse grooves connecting adacent elongated portions.

The feat to be accomplished after subdividing the pellet of mercury is to cause each pellet to move progressively along the division of the passage in which it is contained, without entering the other division, until it reaches the goal l0, and reunites with the other pellet. This feat is rendered diiiicult of accomplishment, firs i, by means of culs-de-sac 11, formed at different point-s, these being adapted to arrest the progress of a pellet and requiring delicate manipulation of the puzzle to cause the arrested pellet to continue on its course to the goal, and, secondly, by connections between the two passage divisions permitting a pellet to move from one division into the other, where it is likely to meet the other pellet before reaching the goal. l2 represents one of the said connections, the same being of segmental form, and connecting the portions l and la. 13 represents another connection which is a transverse groove connecting the portions la and 3.

la represents a ridge in the portion 3, forming the ends of two culs-de-sac.

l claim:

l. A puzzle comprising a base having a labyrinthine passage, a transparent top, a pellet of mercury, means whereby the pellet may be subdivided, and a goal connected with the passage.

2. A puzzle comprising a base having a labyrinthine passage, a transparent top forming the outer wall of the passage, a pellet of mercury, means in the outer portion of the passage whereby the pellet may be subdivided, and a goal communicating with the inner end of the passage, said passage having culs-de-sac adapted to pocket a pellet or pellets moving therein.

3. A puzzle comprising a base having a labyrinthine passage composed of elongated portions and shorter transverse connecting portions, said passage having barriers forming the ends of culs-de-sac, a pellet of mercury, means in the outer portion of the passage whereby the pellet may be subdivided, and a goal communicating with the inner end of the passage.

et. A puzzle comprising a base having a labyrinthine passage composed of two divisions, a transparent'top forming the outer wall of said passage, a pellet of mercury, the outer ends of the passages being adjacent to each other, means whereby the pellet may be subdivided in the outer perticn of the passage into two smaller pellets, one located in each division, a goal communicating with the inner ends of the divisions, Yand connections between portions of the divisions through which a pellet may pass from either division into the other.

In testimony whereof I have ailiXed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS S. BURBANK. llfitnesses Monrunsn C. BENNETT, CLARENCE E. ARNOLD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

